[Avodah] Starting Chumash with Vayikra

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

Rav Assi (a Bavli amora and talmid-chaver of Rav, not to be confused with
Rabbi Assi of EY), in Vayiqra Rabba 7, is the source of the minhag to
start teaching chumash from Vayiqra, "yavo tehorim veyis'asqu betaharos".

I think this is the same amora who says on Shabbos 52a that the yeitzer
hara starts out like thread of spider-web, but ultimately becomes like
a cart rope.

In short, R Assi holds of the innocence of youth.

But this isn't the only shitah. Avos deR' Nasan 16:2 says that the yh"r
develops during gestation, but the yeitzer hatov first starts when the
child is 13.

Does this machloqes with what R' Assi says in Shabbos mean that AdRN
wouldn't call children tehorim and thus not advise starting with Vayiqra
in particular?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

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